Artwork stating 'Education Destroys Barriers', 'We Demand Treatment', and 'I Need A Chance'

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  • Stockton's Basic-Income Experiment Pays Off

    A pilot project provided residents who made less than the median income in Stockton, California, with monthly cash payments. The extra money helped recipients secure employment, avoid housing instability, handle unexpected expenses that would otherwise derail their budgets, reduce debt, improve mental health, and help friends and family when necessary. A nationwide initiative is expanding the program to other cities as well.

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  • The Streets Are My Home: Evictions, Homelessness and COVID

    Restore Hope Ministries worked to prevent homelessness and evictions during the COVID-19 pandemic by using private donations, foundation grants, and CARES Act funds to provide rental assistance to 1,422 households. Each household received up to several months of rent, totaling $3.5 million in assistance, and targeting populations and neighborhoods most vulnerable to eviction and homelessness. The Tulsa Day Center also pivoted due to the pandemic and sheltered people identified as most vulnerable in place day and night, while working with the city and county to open up and run an overflow shelter.

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  • 'Solidarity, not charity': Mutual aid groups are filling gaps in Texas' crisis response

    Texas mutual aid groups raised hundreds of thousands of dollars to help people with food, housing, and other supplies after natural disasters, which are increasing due to climate change. Organizers go door-to-door and use social media to identify people in need of assistance, particularly people impacted by structural inequalities in low-income communities, communities of color, and people with insecure housing. Donors, most of whom also come from the community, help with cash or goods donations. Recipients aren’t means-tested and the neighbors-helping-neighbors model allows for quick and passionate action.

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  • Once destined for raw bars, 5 million oysters are being rerouted to coastal restoration efforts

    The Supporting Oyster Aquaculture and Restoration initiative (SOAR), coordinated by the Pew Charitable Trusts, The Nature Conservancy, and various state agencies, NGOs, and universities, spent millions buying oysters from 100 farms in seven states to put back into the oceans for reef restoration. Working in areas that already have reef monitoring programs, SOAR is supporting 20 reef restoration projects to create habitat for more oysters and other marine species, clean the water, and mitigate coastal flooding. SOAR also helped mitigate potential losses for shellfish farmers due to COVID-19.

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  • Guaranteed income programs could give low-income women a lifeline

    Guaranteed income pilot programs have created a crucial safety net, especially for women of color who have experienced poverty disproportionately after the onset of the pandemic. The once-fringe idea has gained popularity following the federal government’s multiple stimulus checks that the majority of Americans have qualified for.

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  • A 19th Century Fund Is Still Helping Philadelphia's Smallest Businesses

    A long-running fund in Philadelphia has been able to help struggling small-business owners in the city since 1854. The Merchant Fund has been able to provide 67 businesses with $307,000 in grants since the onset of the pandemic. Additionally, it also helps entrepreneurs purchase real estate. The fund’s executive director notes, “Owning property is crucial to business longevity, and is fundamental to creating wealth that can be passed on.”

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  • Can free cash really solve Philly's poverty problem?

    Universal Basic Income programs around the country have demonstrated the effectiveness of distributing cash to people who are economically struggling. Philadelphia distributed $1.7 million through the Worker Relief Fund in the summer of 2020 when thousands of residents were excluded from federal and state pandemic financial aid and plans are also in motion to provide cash payments to 300 families in need of housing assistance.

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  • Vermont Plans to Send Cash to Immigrant Farmworkers Left Out of Stimulus

    Vermont approved coronavirus relief funding for immigrants who did not qualify for federal aid in the first round of the CARES Act. Migrant farm workers play a vital role in Vermont’s dairy industry and were hailed as essential workers who ensured a functioning local food supply during the pandemic. Undocumented immigrants have disproportionately been affected by the pandemic, but the majority of states have not provided this demographic with a financial security net.

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  • Reviving the Cherokee Language Is a Full-Time Job – Literally

    The Cherokee Language Master Apprentice Program is an immersion program that pays adults to learn the Cherokee language, which is quickly disappearing yet important for preserving Cherokee culture. The program requires 40 hours a week for two years and participants are paid $10 per hour as an incentive to focus on their studies. When creating the curriculum, the Cherokee Nation looked to other Native Nations with initiatives to preserve Native cultures and languages. The program has grown over the past six years and now, when fully filled, has 32 participants taking part in the two-year program.

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  • The Tribe that's Moving Earth (and Water) to Solve the Climate Crisis

    The Yurok Tribe is tackling climate change through the use of a carbon-offset program, sustainable forestry principles, watershed and river recovery methods, and even beaver restoration practices. Over the years, the Indigenous community has worked to restore their territory using sustainable land management initiatives and because of their efforts, they were awarded the Equator Prize from the United Nations Development Programme in 2019.

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